The Pauldron of Frosted Chaos
Heimerdinger crafted Furynn this augmented pauldron as reward for returning the prototype stun cannon to his possession, using a skull from the White Dragon slain in the quest. The Creation Furynn, confident that his compatriots, and most importantly Pello Navarre, had retired for an evening’s rest, slipped as quietly as he could from his quarters in search of the genius Heimerdinger. It was no easy task, him being decidedly less than stealthy, his backpack filled with an unwieldy item, and the facility where he stayed all but unfamiliar to him. After wandering blindly down several hallways in search of his prize, Furynn was halted by the gruff inquiry of a member of Heimerdinger’s staff. Stunned that anyone would have stayed so late, but still confident Heimerdinger himself would be busily at work somewhere nearby, Furynn adjusted his backpack confidently and demanded to see the aging yordle. Not at all impressed by Furynn’s posturing, the staff nevertheless knew the work these adventurers had done for his employer and agreed to take Furynn where he desired to go. The knight-errant was likely not a welcomed interruption for Heimerdinger, but looked battle-worn in a way a mere apprentice scientist had little interest in provoking. The laboratory was not attached to the sleeping quarters as Furynn had oddly assumed. An inventor of Heimerdinger’s stature commanded more than enough resources to keep his facilities pristine. Of course, Furynn might have remembered this had he paid more attention to the details of the situation the last time he visited. The backpack landed on the metal table with a solid thump and Furynn rubbed his hands together with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. He bore a wild look in his eyes not present when last he visited. Heimerdinger was unphased by the display, though, as he was found in his typical state of casual distraction, working out the details of some new project Furynn decided not to care about. The staff member scurried from the room after announcing the visitor, obviously not wishing to be involved in intruding upon Heimerdinger’s reverie. “There’s talk of magic where I come from, you know.” Furynn blurted suddenly. Heimerdinger showed no visible reaction as he examined his own fingers studiously. “I don’t think I really put much stock in it - mostly stuff for entertainment and the like. Not serious stuff...” the warrior continued. Heimerdinger darted across the room with surprising speed and lifted an odd contraption to his eye with glee. “I just mean it’s not impossible that there is magic... I mean... uh, of course it isn’t impossible... er, it’s possible. I mean I’ve seen magic now so I know it is real.” Furynn nodded as if he’d said something significant. Heimerdinger finally acknowledged his presence with a low “Hmmm...” At least, Furynn assumed the old scientist was acknowledging his presence. Perhaps the yordle was simply thinking through some details relating to his fingers and the metal gizmo now perched atop them. “I think dragons are magical. I’ve heard that. They have magic in them. Or they know magic. I think they have magic in them.” “Yes... magic... and science. They are the same.” Heimerdinger finally confirmed that he followed Furynn’s train of thought. Then he dropped the metal object and started scribbling furiously in a nearby notebook. “Well, I mean, I think that there is magic that is part of a Dragon. Part of its flesh and bones.” “Sure.” Heimerdinger agreed enthusiastically. “So... I was thinking I could use a dragon’s magic. It could help me. Like... if I had a part of a dragon, it would be magical.” “Yes... mhmmm. Magic and science, they are a part of everything. Hmmm, yes.” Heimerdinger looked up at Furynn in confusion, “A dragon has magic in them, yes, yes. They have science in them. You have science in you. I have science in me. The universe is made of science. Yes. Indeed. I see what you are saying.” Furynn flipped the flap of his backpack aside in frustration, revealing the bloody severed head of the unfortunate frost dragon he’d met only a few hours earlier. Heimerdinger jumped a little bit, possibly in shock but more likely in gleeful surprise. “This dragon head... it could make a good piece of armor I think... after I clean it.” Furynn said as if concluding his thoughts. He tugged at a chunk of skin near the nape of the skull, eliciting a squeal of alarm from the inventor. “Don’t... that... very unwise. How did you get this specimen and... oooooh” Heimerdinger let out a groan that sounded very disappointed as he approached. Furynn smiled broadly, “I killed it myself this afternoon.” “Did you... do you... oh dear.” Heimerdinger unceremoniously yanked the head from the backpack and twisted it back and forth, examining the mangled gore where Furynn’s bladed shield had hacked through the creature’s neck. “I suppose none of you really knows how to properly remove a dragon’s head. Well, obviously you don’t. This... mess, it’s … unscientific!” Heimerdinger clucked in disapproval, showing no disgust for the blood and puss oozing out onto his arms. “Dragon anatomy is very delicate!” The scientist scolded, shaking his head. “You’ve made a very poor incision here, and here, and -oh! - this part is smashed. Where is the... ? Oh my... you’ve left that part behind? How could you leave that behind?” The yordle was more mumbling to himself than asking questions at this point, rolling the severed head back and forth with ravenous curiosity despite the fact that the head was larger than Heimerdinger’s entire body. “I was thinking,” Furynn continued in a louder voice, “that this is made of tough bones. Dragon bones are harder than steel or iron... or so I’ve heard. It should make a nice pauldron, yes? I think it would look fearsome perched on my shoulder. Let any other beast know who they are dealing with. I’m not to be trifled with. ...And... the dragon, it would have magic in it? So... maybe there would be some other benefits too...?” Heimerdinger stopped suddenly as Furynn’s musings trailed off. “You didn’t bring this to me to study?” Furynn looked at the little scientist blankly. Heimerdinger cleared his throat. “A specimen like this... it is rare. It is... well, there is much to be learned from it. But you don’t want to learn? You want … a shoulderpad?” “Exactly.” Furynn smiled even more broadly, relieved that the odd little yordle understood him. Heimerdinger’s face fell, then brightened, then darkened. “I suppose I do have a debt to repay you. Perhaps this. You leave this with me - I promise I won’t dissect it... much - and I will let you know what I might be able to do for you with it. This sort of thing is quite expensive. Quite expensive, you are aware? I am not rich. I have money, but it is for science. Personally, I am not very rich at all. So making something like this, just for you, not for the League and not for research. Well, that... it’s expensive. I will see what I can do. No promises. But I will see.” “Alright! We have a deal then!” Furynn announced gleefully, spitting into his own palm and holding it out to Heimerdinger. “Yes, an understanding, thank you.” The yordle nodded, distracted again, and turned away from Furynn. Even the warrior knew it was time to make his exit. Stats Item Powers: · The Dragon’s Spirit (Toggle, free action) This item can be turned on or off.| -When off, the lingering aura of the dragon grants you a +1 to Wisdom. -When turned on, a techmaturgical generator taps into the dragon’s most recent memories and broadcasts them in a field around you, granting a chance to freeze the flesh of enemies struck by attacks. The broadcast also gives you a blinding pain in your neck, and being a prototype may prove less than reliable. (When an enemy is struck by an attack, roll a d6. 5-6, the enemy takes 4 frost damage. 2-4, no effect. 1, the device backfires and freezes your shield arm solid, rendering it useless until the end of your next turn (lose shield bonus)